Academic Support Center

The Academic Support Center provides services to support the academic success of students of MSU Billings and City College at MSU Billings through developmental level math, reading, and English courses; Learning Labs; tutorial assistance; and workshops.

Special educational delivery requirements that need to be addressed by persons with disabilities should be directed to Disability Support Services.

Developmental Courses

The Academic Support Center offers a number of courses designed to help students succeed in their academic programs.

English

WRIT 095 Developmental Writing [formerly ENGL 100 English Essentials] Reviews basic grammar with emphasis on sentence structure and mechanics. Also presents basic writing considerations, especially paragraph organization and development of the multi-paragraph essay. Placement by student’s request or by results of Writing Placement Test, SAT, or ACT and by faculty recommendation. Credits do not apply toward graduation requirements and do not fulfill General Education requirements. Credits not applicable to English major or minor. However, the credits do count towards enrollment status for financial aid.

M 095 Intermediate Algebra [formerly MATH 105 Algebra for College Students] reviews elementary algebraic concepts and covers more advanced factoring, operations on rational expressions and radical expressions, quadratic equations, the rectangular coordinate system, and exponential and logarithmic functions. Credits do not apply toward graduation requirements and do not fulfill General Education requirements. However, the credits do count towards enrollment status for financial aid

M 098 Introductory & Intermediate Algebra covers basic algebra concepts including terminology; operations on rational numbers; solving and graphing linear equations and inequalities in one and two variables; determining equations of lines; polynomial and function operations; operations on exponential and radical expressions; factoring; solving rational, absolute value, radical, and systems of equations; and solving and graphing quadratic equations. This is a modularized course based on mastery learning in which students will earn credit for each module (A, B, C, D, E) by examination. Credits do not apply toward graduation requirements and do not fulfill General Education requirements. However, the credits do count towards enrollment status for financial aid.

Reading

RD 101 Reading Improvement for College Students Provides instruction and practice in applying active reading strategies, improving comprehension in content areas, demonstrating critical thinking skills in responding to individual content area reading assignments, and increasing vocabulary to improve academic success. RD 101 prepares students for the demands of college-level reading. Course earns academic credit but does not count toward General Education, a degree, or certification.

College Success Strategies

A&SC 101 College Success Strategies orients students to the expectations of college-level study and provides basic strategies for success as a student.

Learning Labs

A Learning Lab for students is available on the first floor of the Student Union Building on the senior campus and in the Learning Commons of the Tech Building at City College at MSU Billings. The Learning Labs provide tutoring space, study group tables, and computers for students’ school-related assignments.

Tutoring

The Academic Support Center offers tutoring in math, writing, reading, and other general education subjects in the Learning Labs at both campuses, as well as program-specific tutoring at City College at MSU Billings. Tutors are available to assist students but are not meant to replace classroom instruction. The Learning Lab tutors include instructors, professional tutors, and student tutors who have majors in a variety of disciplines.

Writing Tutors

Academic Support Center tutors provide tutorial assistance for writing assignments in all undergraduate classes. Tutors help students at any stage of the writing process, but will not proofread, edit, or write work for the students. Tutors will help students master grammar and mechanics, research-writing formats and procedures, and many other writing skills. Handouts and other reference materials are available at no charge. Graduate students should make an appointment to be seen in person.

Math Tutors

Academic Support Center tutors provide tutorial assistance for students taking any developmental or general education math or statistics course, as well as some specific higher level courses. Tutors will help students understand mathematical concepts and assist with homework problems, but will not help with quizzes or tests.

Specialty Tutors

Based on student need, tutoring in other subjects is available in the Learning Labs. Program-specific tutoring, such as in anatomy, drafting & design, automotive services, and computer applications, is available in the Learning Lab at City College at MSU Billings.

Online Tutoring

Online writing tutoring is available for students through the Academic Support Center. Undergraduate students can submit papers on the web at www.msubillings.edu/asc/writelab/ and a writing tutor will review the paper, add comments, and return the paper. No online submissions are accepted for graduate-level papers, appointments only.

Workshops

The Academic Support Center provides workshops on specific topics, such as APA writing style and graphing calculators. Workshops are based on student need and vary from semester to semester.